Service runway



SERVICE RUNWAY Filed Sept. 2, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 11, 1931. R, E,MANLEY 1',874,9197

SERVICE RUNwAY Filed sept. 2. 1925 s Smets-sheet 2 Aug. 11, 1931. R E,MANLEY 1,817,997

" SERVICE RUNWAY Filed sept. 2. 1925 3 sheets-Sheet 5 a A.|....|...H.....w W m da.

itwo similar longitudinal track supporting Patented Aug. 11, 1931 treoSTATES ROBERT. E. MANLEY, F YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO MANLEYMANUFACTUR- ING COMPANY, OF YORIQPENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARESERVICE nUNwAx f v.Application led September This invention relates toservice runways and has forits principal object the provision of asturdy runway that can be built at a low cost which will oifer minimumobst-ruction to passage of the workmen, and which will have a very highfactor of safety in operation even with very heavy automobiles.

A further object of the present invention is to produce an eiiicientrunway of wood and l0 of standard steel sections and so assembled as toprovide extreme rigidity.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective of the runway. Figure V2 is atransverse section illustrat- 15 ing`the principal truss.

igure 3 is a side elevation of the step bracket. Y

Figure 4 isv a perspective view of the enf trance end.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a central portion. Figure 6is an enlargedside elevation of a portion of thev runway, with parts in section andparts broken away.

25 'Figure 7 is a section on line 7-7 of Figure 6. Y

Figure 8 is a similar sectional view of one vof the tracks with parts inelevation and parts in section. y

The service runway in general consists of frames braced together attheir rear ends and at their centers and held against relative lmovementat their extreme front ends where the tracks incline to and rest uponthe ground.

The main tracks 10 are horizontal and are preferably of two inch pinewhile the sloping 4or inclined tracks 11 are preferably of oak althoobviously these tracks can be made of 49 any material desired.A `I usewood as I find it preferable, not only because of the coeiiicient offriction between the oak and/the rubber of the tires, but also becauseof the possibility of fastening cleats on the wood at a very 1 5 muchlower cost than I could fasten cleats to metal, for example.

The center truss consists of a transverse beam of angle iron having oneside iange iiat on the ground and the other flange or 59 anglegbeingvertical. To the vertical flange 2, 1925. Serial No. 54,103.

arranged in pairs forming two columns, the

two upright members of each pair or columnv having near their top across piece 17 preferably of angle bar and forming the front support forthe horizontal track 10 which however, does not rest direct upon theangle 17 but does rest upon two slats 19 to which the inclined track 11is fastened as by the bolts 2O which pass thru a transverse strap 21 andalso thru the (slats 19 having nuts 22 bearing against the bottomsurface of the slats.

The rails and 26 are each of angle iron and run parallel thruout theirentire extent save at the extreme front where they diverge as at 27 toform a guiding mouth for each runway. The rails 26 are each riveted orbolted to an upright post 16as for example at 29 and to the lateralflange of the post 16 I bolt a small angular section 30 which is securedas at Slto the forwardly extending inclined rail 26. Each pairl ofuprights 16 has anV inclined brace or kdiagonal 32 bolted' to thetransverse angle bar 17, the two posts 16, and also at its lower endtothe groundangle iron or base beam, bracing the entire structure andforming a truss.

The rear truss is of similarv construction save that the uprights 35extend above the rails 25, each pair being joined at the top by a crossbarf36 forming the top of the column and spaced above the rails 25approximately the same distance as the rails are spaced above the track10, so that the cross bars 86 form a safety buier or stop. Since thesloping braces or diagonals 32, the cross bars 17 and the beam 15 areexactly the same in the center and rear trusses I have given them thesame numerals.

. Each of these trusses is oined to the upper rail 25 by means ofarather long sloping brace 40 secured )to the: adjacent vupright 16 or35, as the case maybe, at the bottom and also bolted to the upper railas at 41, the bolt 41 on each side forming the supporting mem- ""1 berfor a hanger 43 whichis in the form of a U or a stirrup and which isbolted to the horizontaltrack 10 as at 50.

The front supporting frames located midioo way of the inclined tracks 11are each formed of a pair of vertical angle bars 52 joined at the bottomby rests 53 of angle iron and are bolted at their tops to the rails 26as at 55. Each prop 59. supports the inclined track Il by means of asmall strap of angle iron 57 one flange of this angle piece lying flushagainst the bottom of the track and the other flange lying flush againstthe side of the prop or standard 52 to which it is secured by means of abolt 58 but preferably this angle piece is not secured to the oakincline or track 11 which has its sole fastenings between its two endsto the two hangers 60 each of which is suspended from the rails 26midway between the central support formed by the two standards 52, andthe rests 53, and the adjacent end of the board or track.

The inclined track Il is provided with cleats at proper intervals, adozen or more in number, positioned so that the cleats shall not bedirectly over one of the hangers GO or directly over the rest 53. Thesecleats G2 may be secured in place in any desired manner, as for exampleby means of screws or fastenings 65. The cleats not only aid inincreasing the tractive effort in going up` the incline but they, likethe several hangers, prevent the wood of the tracks from splitting.

At the extreme front end the two front stirrups or hangers 6G are heldtogether by a flat tie strip '67 to maintain the proper spaced relationbetween the two tracks. Preferably the Hare in the front guard railsbegins at the point of fastening of the front stirr'ups or hangers 66and the rails.

I find it very convenient to provide a step which I locate about midwayof the platform formed by the horizontal tracks. This step is `formed ofa board supported by a bracket having a horizontal portion 71 to whichthe board 70 is secured, a vertical section '72,k and an upperhorizontal section 7f3 u-nderlying the horizontal track 10 and securedto it in any Vdesired manner. I find it very advantageous to use a smallpiece of a large non-symmetrical angle iron such as T5 and have theshorter leg or flan-ge of the angle 'overli'e the top of the track l()while the other and longer fiange loverlies and is riveted to the upperportion of the vertical section 72 of the bracket.

In the drawings I have shown four com pression members preferablyrectangular posts 77 of yellow pine each located midwa between the smallcentral standard 78 and7 the adjacent truss. These wooden posts are notessential but are nevertheless eX- tremcly convenient and efficaciousand relieve the steel work of the service runway of considerable stresswhen a heavy car is standlng upon the horizontal portion, and add to thelength of life of the runway.

What I claim is l. In a service runway, a pair of trusses, a pair oftracks having their ends supported by said trusses, a guide rail foreach track, a pair of diagonals each secured at its upper end to one ofsaid guide rails and at its lower end to the adjacent truss and astirrup sup vported by said rail and diagonal and supporting said trackbetween the trusses.

2. In a service runway, a plurality of parallel tracks each consistingof two sections, one horizontal and the other inclined, a truss at theunction of the horizontal and inclined sections, said truss consistingof a base, four uprights rising from said base, diagonals each securedto said base and the adjacent uprights, al cross piece spaced below thetop of the uprights and furnishing a support for the two sections of thetrack, a guide rail secured to the top of each of said uprights, meansat the front end of the runway for holding the free ends of the inclinedtracks spaced from one another and for holding the guide rails in spacedparallel position above said tracks, a truss at the rear end of therunway consisting of a base member, two pairs of uprights rising fromthe base member, said uprights supporting the rear end of the guiderails and rising above said guide rails, and a plurality of stirrupssuspended from each pair of guide rails for supporting said tracks.

In a steel and wood service runway, a plurality of pairs of spaced angleiron guide rails, the rear half of said .guide rails being horizontaland the front half being inclined downwardly to the ground or othersupporting medium, the guide rails of each pair being outwardly flaredat their Aground or forward ends, means for supportin-g said guide railsin said positions and a plurality of hangers suspended from the guiderails at intervals and tracks secured to and supported by said hangers.

et. In a service runway, a pair of trusses each consisting of a rolledsteel base member, a plurality of rolled steel uprights, rolled steeltransverse members connecting adjacent uprights to form two columns,braces secured to the base member, the two adjacent uprights of eachcolumn and to the trans- Verse member, guide rails secured t-o saidtrusses, a sloping brace extending from the bottom of each uprightupwardly and inwardly to the guide rail, and means secured to eachsloping brace and to the guide rail for centrally supporting a trackheld at leach end by one of said transverse members.

5. In a service runway, a 'truss consisting of a base member, twocolumns each ofv two vertical angle irons, a cross piece spaced belowthe top of adjacent vertical angle irons, a track supported at itscenter by said truss, means for supporting said track at its rear andfront ends, a guide rail'secured to the -top iss of each vertical angleiron and secured at its free ends to the said means, and means securedto the base of said truss for supporting J- a portion of the trackbetween said truss and the adjacent track support.

In testimony whereof I ax my signature.

ROBERT E. MANLEY.

